Steelmane Gang
The Steelmane Gang is a criminal organization formed within House von Steelmane's estate in the Northern Alteraci Mountains by Lord Tandrious von Steelmane and his three sons, Morvis, Daladis, and the most infamous, Edgar, at around the initial decline of the Defias Brotherhood and long after the fall of the Kingdom of Alterac. Using the gold he had acquired through nobility and inheritance, and the manpower of the loyalists and servants who followed the Steelmane's from the Defias Brotherhood, Tandrious successfully molded his own criminal enterprise, giving a home and employment to all of Azeroth's bloodthirsty brutes, killers, ex-Defias and elite criminals with nowhere else to go. With the goal of having complete control over the criminal underworld in mind they will stop at nothing to achieve it, even if that includes gutting an innocent person to get their point across. =Origins= ---- Tandrious von Steelmane, a wealthy Alteraci Noble was betrayed by a rival Noble-House of Alterac, causing a string of events which led to the loss of his wife, Lady Sydney Whiteflower-Steelmane. Enraged, he sent Orcish mercenaries to the betrayer's manor, while the family, servants and the Nobleman himself were fast asleep in the early hours of Winter Veil's Day. The Orcish Mercenaries blocked the doors and windows with heavy objects before tossing a lit torch into a second story window, the curtains quickly catching fire following the rest of the wooden home soon after. By sunrise, when the fire was quelled, all that was left were a pile of ash and bone. Knowing of a potential death sentence for his crimes in Alterac, Tandrious gathered the things of his house and his children before sending off to the winding roads aboard his carriage, only stopping for food and water until they reached Westfall several weeks later to live a new life on land he had inherited. However shortly after their arrival, the Defias influence in Westfall drew his attention and peaked his interest which eventually led House von Steelmane into joining along in the ranks of the Defias Brotherhood under the Kingpin, Edwin VanCleef. In return for years of loyalty and extensive service, Tandrious was informed that his three sons will be traveling to Dustwallow Marsh for a private education in all weapons and fighting alike: swords, daggers, darts, firearms, and bows. They even spent an additional three or so years studying and practicing Engineering before being returned to their father in Westfall to serve as Defias Lieutenants. After the three brothers returned to the Eastern Kingdoms, they wasted no time in causing organized mayhem and attacks on public officials in Stormwind to prove their worth to the Brotherhood. Unfortunately for House von Steelmane it wasn't long after their return when Edwin VanCleef was assassinated, and the Defias Brotherhood disbanded. Distraught and sought after by the authorities in Stormwind, they collected their belongings and returned back to the Alteraci Mountains, using fake papers to get through the heightened security in Westfall, Elwynn and Redridge. It was within the hollowed walls of their old estate, with the support and manpower of those whom had followed Tandrious back to Alterac, and the gold he had acquired from his career in the Brotherhood, that the Steelmane Gang was chartered with an original roster holding thirty-eight signatures. In the months following their conception, Steelmane had focused on obtaining territory vital to making the one thing they need to continue going as an organization wholly: gold. They landed logging, mining and port-shipping territories and businesses throughout the north, eventually capturing the interest of local criminal organizations down in more southern regions due to their rapid success. After a few trips down south, Tandrious agreed to move a third of his organization to Stormwind City, and gave control of this branch to Edgar. Edgar, however, had other plans for Steelmane. He was focused on installing fear into the local populous by any means necessary, from causing major legal trouble for the civilians and people who hold political power to nailing the competition to the floor in their own homes after eviscerating them. Eventually, the people of Stormwind knew it was right to fear the name," Steelmane." Fall of a Kingpin Steelmane's success had been defying all odds for years, going as far as to completely drive any competition out of Stormwind City. Lord Tandrious and his children were living the high-life, enjoying being untouchable and the look of fear people gave them when they walked around the streets. Things couldn't have been better for Steelmane members, and their allies. However, over a period of time, things began to change around Stormwind and the other sister capital cities. The skies grew grey, and eventually black, and the people went from having minor flu-like symptoms to dropping dead in the streets after a coughing fit. Blinded by success, Tandrious believed Steelmane to be untouchable, so he, despite all warnings continued to operate in Stormwind while believing the outbreak to be nothing more than a potent flu. When the dead began to rise, it was already too late. Realizing his grave mistake, Tandrious had called for a vessel to meet him in the harbor and transport him out of the city and into his Westfall safe house. The vessel returned to Westfall, he did not. Rumor of his plausible demise echoed throughout the ranks of Steelmane, causing great stress and the eventual void as the brothers and higher ranking officers fought in a civil-war over who would be the next Kingpin. The fighting lasted nearly six months, coasted dozens of lives, broke the back and foundation of Steelmane but finally brought out two names for the possible successor: Edgar, the eldest son of Tandrious, or Morvis- the middle child. With neither backing down, one final quarrel had to be fought to settle all qualms. Blood of a Brother and the Ascension of a Kingpin With a date set, the remnants of Steelmane waited anxiously. Both Edgar and Morvis wanted desperately to be the next Kingpin, but they also wished not to kill the other, as it is forbidden in House von Steelmane to have the blood of your own kin on your hands. Just before the fight was scheduled to take place, Morvis' mentality had completely splintered, causing him to attack Edgar when it was unexpected, and he was most unprepared. The fight was fierce, but lasted only a few minutes. Ultimately, Morvis had bested Edgar by pinning him onto the floor, but made a grave mistake by taking his attention from Edgar to celebrate his victory with those loyal to him. Edgar utilized this opportunity and shot Morvis in the back with his flintlock pistol, mortally wounding him. With a pierced lung he wept and sought after forgiveness before succumbing to his injuries mere moments later. Despite his fierce anger and sorrow for Morvis' stupidity which led to his demise, Edgar was humble in victory. He gathered the remains of Morvis and buried him within the von Steelmane Family Mausoleum in their Alteraci estate, next to the funeral effigy of Lord Tandrious. Having no time to mourn, Edgar quickly took on the role of Kingpin and began working feverishly to rebuild his family's legacy. Dormancy and a New Chapter The damage from the civil war took years to wholly repair, with alliances and friendships being severed in the midst of internal conflicts, many tools and instruments in the Steelmane arsenal being sabotaged or looted by ex-members. Going against the advice of his officers, Edgar pulled the plug on Steelmane public operations, and made a full retreat back into Alterac to start a period of reconstruction- one where the organization to the public eye would go dormant in hopes to escape repercussions for many of their post-civil war crimes, either by returning with a new name, or by eluding the statute of limitations. Although technically dormant, Steelmane has never wholly disbanded as small sects of businesses and property still ran and influenced by Steelmane's legacy exist and continue to turn a profit for those still under Edgar's banner. =Affiliations= ---- Allies: *''None'' Former Allies: *''Shadowstorm Company (Disbanded)'' *''Blackwolf Company (Disbanded)'' *''The Black Hawk (Disbanded)'' *''The Grimeblade Gang (Disbanded)'' *''The Moonblade (Faded)'' *''The Rose Syndicate (Disbanded)'' *''Apex Company (Disbanded)'' * The Marked (Disbanded) * Deadwind Syndicate (Faded) Neutral: *''House Fontaine'' (Disbanded) Enemies: *''None'' Former Enemies: *''The Blackheart Syndicate (Defeated)'' *''The Assassins Guild (Disbanded)'' *''Ishuran Legacy (Defeated)'' *''Kingdom of Arathor (Faded)'' *''The Stormgarde Brigade (Disbanded/Defeated)'' Category:Alliance Guilds Category:The Steelmane Gang Category:Criminal Organizations Category:Alliance Criminal Guilds Category:Organizations Category:Crime